By Neha Prakash from Mashable

Reza Baluchi, a well-known extreme marathon runner, was attempting to travel around the Bermuda Triangle (from Miami to Bermuda to Peurto Rico, and then back to Miami, approximately 1,033 miles one way) using only an inflatable bubble. Baluchi’s mission was to raise money for Plant Unity, his non-profit organization that provides children with basic living needs and education.

Unfortunately, Baluchi’s journey was cut short when he was picked up by the U.S. Coast Guard Saturday morning after signaling for help. Coast Guard officials told The Miami Herald that Baluchi had no apparent injuries when he was rescued, but seemed disoriented and fatigued.

Baluchi began his adventure on Sept. 30. The Coast Guard began to follow him on Wednesday, and asked the 42-year-old on Thursday to stop his journey. Capt. Todd Coggeshall called Baluchi, and told him he that “hadn’t made progress on his intended track, and warned him of deteriorating weather conditions,” the Herald reported.

Baluchi insisted he could continue, claiming he had prepared for two years for the trip.

The “hydro pod bubble runner,” which Baluchi built himself, is made out of metal and soccer balls. Baluchi propels it by running back and forth inside.

According to Baluchi’s website, his days consisted of sleeping from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. on a hammock inside the bubble. When he woke up, he would begin running “until his body becomes too hot,” after which he would “jump into the sea to cool himself off with a leash strapped to his leg connected to the bubble,” the site said. Baluchi also planned to catch fish for food, supplementing that with protein bars.

A YouTube video shows Baluchi’s previous journey in his bubble runner last year, traveling from the California coast to Catalina Island, and then toward Hawaii. There were no complications on the trip, but Baluchi did lose 15 pounds from sweating during the more than 12-hour journey, according to his site.

Baluchi came to the United States in 2002 from Iran, after being granted political asylum. He previously spent seven years biking across 55 countries, according to his site. He also traveled to the perimeter of the U.S. in 2007, running for 202 consecutive days, to raise money for the Children’s Hospital Colorado in Denver.

“I believe my heart is love, and I simply follow my heart where it takes me, in peace around the world,” Baluchi wrote on his site. “I believe that anything is possible.”

Baluchi did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

IMAGE: VIDEO: YOUTUBE, KEITH HOLLAND

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